7 essential tests for cancer prevention
Prevention they say is better than cure, the old wise saying goes. However, many people, even knowing this, postpone their preventive examinations and can thus contribute to the progress of various diseases, among them, cancer.
As scary as some exams look, they are critical to the diagnosis of cancer and need to be done following medical advice. Some of them, even, have annual periodicity.
Because the cancer can initially be a silent disease, the best way to detect it early – when the chances of a cure are greatest – are precisely the preventive exams, so the importance of an annual checkup.
Mammography
The cases of breast cancer increase year after year, for this reason the Medical Society indicates the accomplishment of this examination annually for women from the age of forty.
Anyone who has already done this exam complains that it is an uncomfortable and often painful exam, but it is important to remember that it is the primary ally to initially detect breast tumors.
Colonoscopy
This test is for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. It is indicated to perform from the age of forty to those who have a family history of this type of cancer. However, if there are symptoms, the doctor may indicate that the test is done before that.
Rectal touch
The vast majority of men shy away from this examination, but it is a very important examination for the prevention of prostate cancer. From the age of fifty the indication for achievement is annual, however, if there is a family history, there is also the need to do it sooner.
Ultrasound of the abdomen
For investigation of the organs that make up the abdomen, the ultrasound is the examination initially indicated. It investigates the liver, pancreas, spleen, bladder among others and is an examination of simple accomplishment without indication of minimum age. May be included in the annual check-up exams.
Endoscopy
When there are symptoms of gastric problems, the endoscopy exam is indicated to visualize the stomach and detect any type of abnormality.
Pap smear
Annual screening indicated for all women over twenty five years or with active sex life. It is a very effective cervical cancer screening.
Tomography
It is indicated for the diagnosis of several types of cancer, among them the cancer of lung and brain. As a very thorough examination it is highly effective in diagnosing carcinogenic processes.
Give the next time your doctor asks you for check-ups to be sure, these tests can save lives.
